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Primary English · Year 4Chapter 3 · Prefixes, suffixes and word families
Year 4 English · Prefixes, suffixes and word families · Lesson 3.3

Year 4 English Prefixes, suffixes and word families: Prefixes sub-, inter-, super-, anti- and auto-

Part of the Year 4 English prefixes, suffixes and word families chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page

3.3

Prefixes sub-, inter-, super-, anti- and auto-

Year 4
Read and spell words with the prefixes sub-, inter-, super-, anti- and auto-, Spell nouns formed with super-, anti- and auto-, such as superstar, antidote and autobiography
Story. Ben visits the science centre with his class. A guide shows them a model of a submarine. Later, Ben reads about a superstar scientist, and he finds that she wrote her own autobiography.

The prefix sub- means under, as in subway. The prefix inter- means between or among, as in interlock. The prefix super- means above or beyond, as in superhuman.

The prefix anti- means against, as in antidote, which works against a poison. The prefix auto- means self, as in autopilot, which keeps a ship or aircraft moving by itself.

Some words made with super-, anti- and auto- are nouns. A noun names a person, a place or a thing. A superstar is a person, an antidote is a thing, and an autobiography is a book.

PrefixWhat it meansExamplesSome nouns made with it
sub-undersubway, subheadingsubway
inter-between or amonginterlock, intersectnone in this section
super-above or beyondsuperhuman, supersonicsuperstar
anti-against or oppositeantidoteantidote
auto-selfautobiography, autopilotautobiography, autopilot
Five prefixes, what each one means, and the nouns made with super-, anti- and auto-.
subwayintersectsuperstarautopilot
The shaded letters are the prefix in each word.

Key ideas

  • Sub- means under: a subway is a path under a busy road.
  • Inter- means between: interlock means to fit together.
  • Super- means above or beyond: a superstar is a very famous person.
  • Anti- means against: an antidote works against a poison.
  • Auto- means self: an autobiography is a person's own life story.
Worked example 3.3.1
Write the word that means: a heading that comes under a main heading.

Method. Match the meaning to the word, then check the prefix or suffix.

  1. Read the meaning. Think about what the clue describes.
    a heading that comes under a main heading
  2. Find the word that matches. Think of the one word with this meaning.
    subheading
  3. Check the affix. Sub- means under. Heading is the root word.
    Affix letters: sub
  4. Write the answer.
    subheading

Check. Read subheading and check each letter against the word. ✓

Watch out. Sub- means under. Heading is the root word.

Worked example 3.3.2
Write the missing word: The   jet raced across the sky at great speed.

Method. Think what the sentence means, then choose the word that fits the gap and its spelling.

  1. Read the sentence with the gap. Think what the sentence means.
    The ___ jet raced across the sky at great speed.
  2. Find the word that fits the meaning. faster than the speed of sound
    supersonic
  3. Put the word in the gap. Read the sentence again. It makes sense.
    The supersonic jet raced across the sky at great speed.
  4. Write the answer.
    supersonic

Check. Read the whole sentence with supersonic in it. ✓

Watch out. Super- means beyond. Sonic comes from a Latin word meaning sound.

Worked example 3.3.3
Write the missing letters:  pilot

Method. Read the whole word, then fill the box with the affix letters.

  1. Say the whole word, and look at each part. Read every letter in order.
    autopilot
  2. Look at the empty box. The box stands for the letters in a row, 4 in all.
    4 missing letters
  3. Write the missing letters. Auto- means self. Pilot is the root word, and autopilot is a noun.
    auto

Check. Put auto back in the box and read autopilot. ✓

Watch out. Auto- means self. Pilot is the root word, and autopilot is a noun.

Watch out

Watch out: sub- and super- are opposites in direction. A subway goes under the road. A superstar is above ordinary people in fame. Check the meaning of the prefix before you choose.

Exam tip

Grown-up tip. Ask your child to name the prefix in each word, then say what it means. Then ask: is this word a thing, a person or a place? If it is a noun, say the noun aloud, such as superstar.

Exercise 3C  Practice: sub-, inter-, super-, anti- and auto-

1
FWrite the word that matches each meaning.
(a)Write the word that means: a heading that comes under a main heading.
(b)Write the word that means: a path under a busy road for people to walk through.
2
FWrite the missing word in each sentence.
(a)Write the missing word: The two pieces of the puzzle   neatly.
(b)Write the missing word: The two roads   at the roundabout.
(c)Write the missing word: The   signed autographs for the fans after the show.
3
FWrite the missing letters.
(a)Write the missing letters:  sonic
(b)Write the missing letters:  human
4
PSWrite each word correctly.
(a)Ali writes antidot. Write it correctly.
(b)Mia writes autobiograpy. Write it correctly.
(c)Sam writes autopilut. Write it correctly.
5
FWrite the root word, the prefix and the suffix of superstar. Write none if there is no prefix or suffix.
6
PSWrite the root word, the prefix and the suffix of autopilot. Write none if there is no prefix or suffix.
7
RWhich of these is a noun: supersonic or superstar? Explain how you know.
8
RBen says that a subway is a train that goes under the sea. Is he right? Explain.
9
FWrite the prefix that means against, as in antidote, and the prefix that means self, as in autobiography.
10
PSWrite two nouns from this section that are made with super-, anti- or auto-. Accept any two correct nouns, for example: superstar, antidote, autobiography or autopilot.
11
PSSort these words by their prefix: subheading, interlock, superhuman, antidote, autopilot.

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